Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Vestnik Kavkaza interviewed Georgian politicians and experts on the Premier’s decision to nominate the 44-year-old scientist Georgy Margvelashvili as a candidate for the presidency.
Zurab Abashidze, special envoy of the Prime Minister on settlement of relations with Russia
The Premier made a nice choice. I know Georgy very well. He is an interesting, sharp-minded person with a balanced character. I haven’t met people who would treat him badly or coldly. He is a young, thinking man who looks to the future. He will focus on youth policy, the new generation of Georgia. I’m sure he will be welcomed by all foreign partners of our country.
Levan Berdzenishvili, MP, one of the leaders of the ruling coalition
Georgy Margvelashvili is a non-contentious person. He settles conflict situations skillfully, easily finds a common language with many sides. He is well-educated, he studied in Prague. Margvelashvili has serious European education and a long path as a scientist and a leader.
Margvelashvili used to be the head of one of the best universities of the country – the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. It is a Georgian-American university and Georgy has been heading it for a long time. Moreover, he is a very good tutor and has warm relations with students.
This person is not politically linked, he doesn’t represent any political party. And the new constitution requires that the head of the state cannot take a position in a party. Thus, it is an advantage for Margvelashvili. A nonpartisan position of a president is typical for parliamentary republics; I have always stood for a parliamentary form of governing where a president is a referee standing above parties.
Margvelashvili has very good relations with the Premier. It will be comfortable for them to work together. It is important for the balanced work of powers in the future parliamentary system. President and Premier should cooperate, not compete. Absence of political experience is more an advantage than a drawback as Georgian politicians are responsible for all bad events which happened in the country in the past, but he didn’t take part in these developments.
Josef Tsintsadze, president of the Diplomatic Academy
I don’t think Margvelashvili is the best candidate. He won’t be neutral because he is completely associated with Georgian Dream. According to our new constitution, the President will be a “crisis manager.” Margvelashvili is formally thought to be nonpartisan, but he is the Premier’s favourite. In fact he is a leader of Georgian Dream much more than any common member of the party. In the context of the governmental crisis, the President of a parliamentary republic should provide conduction of consultations and searches for a compromise. From this point of view Margvelashvili will be a weak president because he is completely connected with Premier and his team. It would be better to find a person with a larger life experience. Margvelashvili is too young to be President – the father of the nation.
Margvelashvili is a favourite of the ruling coalition, but if it collapses, he won’t succeed in settlement of parliamentary crisis. On the other hand, he has enough experience to play the role of “a post-partisan president.”
Merab Pachulia, head of the sociological service Gorbi
I don’t think that Margvelashvili will have problems in the elections. The candidate of the former ruling party the United National Movement will probably fail to get into the top-3. The second place may be taken by the former speaker Nino Burdzhanadze. A lot depends on her election campaign. Nino still doesn’t criticize Georgian Dream and Ivanishvili, so she is passive and doesn’t strive for fighting for a prestigious second place.
